Laurel Festival kicks off

WINSTED — After months of preparation, arrangement of sponsors and coordinating events, the Laurel City’s annual Laurel Festival returns this Friday through Sunday, June 10 through 12.This is the final weekend for 2010 Laurel Queen Rebecca Nardi to enjoy the royal treatment before she passes on the crown to a new queen, along with two runners-up. Laurel City Commission Chairman Tracie Colabella said Nardi has been an exemplary queen, participating in many community events.“Anything we’ve asked of her, she’s done,” Colabella said. “She’s been very available.” Winsted residents have seen Nardi recently at the Memorial Day Parade and Rotary Pet Parade, and she will be at all of this weekend’s events (see schedule, Page A9).Colabella said she was pleased with the number of tickets sold for the Laurel Ball on Saturday night. She added that nearly two dozen vendors have signed on to be a part of Sunday’s vendor fair — a first for the Laurel Festival — in East End Park.“We’ve worked from September until now and everything has come together very well,” Colabella said. “The Laurel City Commission has just been a hard-working, wonderful group of women.”The only thing left to hope for, Colabella said, is good weather, and as The Winsted Journal went to press, the forecast looked promising.

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